From Here to There (Blogstalking, Week 3)

This post may not be completely safe for work. I'm just sayin'.

This week's blogstalking project is "how do I get there from here?" Or something like that. It's how we get to our places of work, school, etc. It presented a little bit of an issue for me, you see, because I think (although I couldn't find anything about it on the MBTA's website) that you're not allowed to take photos on MBTA property in the post-9/11 world. I considered doing it anyway, but my train station is very crowded and I didn't want some stranger getting all in my face about taking a photo they happen to be in. . .KWIM?

First off, here's my bus stop:



Real exciting, right? I walk down the street 2 blocks to catch a bus, usually see a bus zoom down on my way down, and wait for another, which takes me approximately 2 miles to the train station, where I am dropped off with several hundred other passengers.

I thought I would get right to the good part, though.

When I get off the train, I walk through a lovely inner city park.



There are many flowers still in bloom, and some butterflies flying about.




I definitely wanted to get the morning glories:



There are some fenced off community gardens there, and I always walk by and see these tomatoes and covet them. They're been ready for so long, and nobody has come by to pick them yet!



Well, okay, some are still green, but get them off the plant and into a paper bag, already!!!!

This plant always seems especially happy to see me in the morning:



I had quite a chuckle when I noticed it. The top part of it really makes me think of this record sleeve by Pansy Division:

I wonder if Penny Karma has any Pansy Division CDs. They would so be right up here alley -- queer punk band with X rated lyrics!?! Whaddya think, PK?

Once I leave the phallic garden, I turn down one of the quintessential "postcard" Boston streets:



And I walk past homes that cost more than I've made in my whole life:



Okay, maybe they're not THAT expensive, but the 'hood is known for being pricey.

I walk down the street with my two little feet:



You know how romantic and quaint brick sidewalks look? Well, they look more like potential broken limbs in the winter when they are slick with ice. Just remember that, kiddies.

This house has a nice collection of gourds:



I especially like the squid looking one.

This is my ultimate destination:



It's the second tallest building in Boston. I work halfway up the tower. I have to cut through a mall to get into it, which is no problem in the morning, but during lunch and after work, it's a real PITA.

I do have to cross this street to get there:



I usually make it halfway across before the light changes, and then I have to wait on the neutral ground for the next light cycle. The left turn only light turns green before the straight lights, and half the people in the left turn lane make u-turns, so it can get pretty dicey there.

Symphony Hall is in that pic, on the right, in the distance, if you're interested. I'm pretty sure it's the building with the greenish roof.

My building has a really cool garden:

And our lobby/reception area strives to be arty and elegant but not stuffy:





When I took the picture of the orchid, I was thinking about telling y'all how once in a while, they change the orchids out at reception and offer the old ones to whoever wants them. I now have this orchid at my desk. I don't know how to take care of them, though. A co-worker said I need to put it inside another pot without holes, thoroughly soak it with water, let it sit for 20 minute, then drain it, and I should do this a couple of times a week and also give it some direct sunlight. My workstation is not in the direct sunlight, so I should probbly kiss this orchid's ass goodbye, huh? If I find out they are not poisonous, maybe I'll bring it home, but I need to check that out first.

This is my workstation:



Typical office monkey cube, right?

Here are my pictures:



I need to redecorate, though. I threw a bunch of pics up there when I started, but I really need to personalize things.

The coolest thing, though, is the view from my boss' office:



Fenway Park is in this photo, towards the left, and the Charles River is on the right. The highway going through it is the Mass Pike/I-90.

so, that's my commute, more or less. Sorry I didn't get any massive crowd photos at the T station, but maybe y'all should come and experience it for yourself!

Spill Your (Purse) Guts! (Blogstalking Week 2)

I am one of "those". You know what we are. Those women who carry a purse within a purse. Yup, that's me. A "purse-within-a-purse-carrier".

I love my mettalic green purse. ZMrK gave it to me for Xmas a few years ago. It already has a "distressed" look that just gets more distressed the more I use it. Unfortunately, the distression is getting to the point where the leather is starting to wear away.

I got the striped outer purse at Filene's Basement for about $25. That is also beginning to get a "distressed" look, but that's more because I knock it around on the bus and subway that anything else. I meant to change to a winter one last year, but never did, and I'm thinking of making a fall/winter one for myself out of some of the fabric I have stashed away here, in plain view in my cabinets so it's one of the first things I see when I walk in (besides Ken, who is always at the door when I come home).

Let's look inside, shall we?


Sort of clockwise, from top, until I realize how hard that is: Wallet (Vivienne Westwood, I bought it at Filene's Basement in 2000 and it cost more than the two purses put together!) bandaid (because I alway have bandaids), makeup case with a kitty on it (my friend Linda gave me a tote bag that came with it), pantyliner (because. . . duh), pen (I always try to carry on), shitty-assed cell phone (do not EVER buy the cheapest Nokia you can get a Cingular. Just. . . don't!), inhaler ('nother asthmatic here, but only mildly so. The inhaler makes me really wired though, and more than a little sick feeling, so I try to avoid it), little booklet of home/cell phone numbers for everyone in my office, a nearly-gone pack of Life Savers from one of those Life Savers books one gets for Xmas (yes, it's been around that long), and the little Miller High Life keychain thing holds a pair of earplugs.

Why earplugs? Have you ever sat beneath the fire alarm at work, in a big building that always has fire alarms, and even though they have drills for floors separately, the alarms sound on every floor. It also comes in handy if you have chatty co-workers. And if you suddenly find yourself at a rock concert, you've got protection!

This is what I carry in my larger bag, the one I keep my metallic green purse in. A paperback copy of "Book of the Dead", all zombie short stories, which I've since finished, a ziploc bag of lavendar, which I don't carry around with me daily -- I had bought that at the Farmer's Market the day I took this picture, a couple of napkins/tissues, just 'cuz (I think I'm going to start calling them "crapkins". I always grab the unused napkins when I eat somewhere and just stuff them in my purse. They come in handy when out hiking.), my iPod with a cute snake cozy that I got in a Craftster swap, some cheapa$$ headphones from JetBlue that I stuffed in there because ear buds hurt my ears (they got put to the test the other day when some drunk idjits were yammering on the train. They do their job), an empty tupperware container that I bring grapes to work in every day (I put my lunch in this bag, but everything else has throwaway containers), my keys (yes, that is a clicker on my keychain and no, I don't have a dog), my Charlie card (subway/bus pass -- $59/month), my work ID (real name and company name cleverly hidden), a pair of sunglasses that are way past their prime, and a note to myself of books I wanted to look up.

So, that's it, kids. That's the stuff I can't live without.

Blogstalking Post 1: Who Are You?

Who am I?

Am I washed-up drag queen Taffy Harris?



Am I Japanese schoolgirl zombie Stacy?



or am I just some weirdo chick who lounges around nekkid with her cat Ken?



Ah, but I have been all three. I've been lots of things -- I've been a blonde, a brunette and a redhead (not all at once). I've been fat. I've been thin. I've never been tall, but I've been short. I think that I am your average, every day, 30-something, but one who lets the weirdo within out once in a while (or, more often than not).

I'm a dabbler, which means that I get *really* into a new thing until I reach a plateau, and then I get frustrated and drop it, thus never being more than proficient at anything (and sometimes not even reaching proficiency). I like to think of it as being "well-rounded" rather than "flakey". Over the years, my labors of love have been sculpting (figure sculpting and polymer clay sculpting), piano/compact organ playing (I had an early 70s Farfisa, which I have sold, a 60s Teischord and a 60s Fender Contempo), sewing, Arnis (a Filipino stick-fighting martial art), Swedish (yes, the language. I can say "thank you" (tack), "you're welcome" (det ver inget -- more literally, "It was nothing") and "i love you" (jag alskar deg), and can probably pick out a word or two here and there, but I'm really crap at the language), playing drums (which I was starting to get good at), knitting (which I haven't quit yet), and spinning (still trying to get the hang of it). I like knitting the most because I can sit while doing it, and I like sitting.

I love nature, and am easily amused and excited at seeing a turtle, frog, snake, salamander or toad while out on a walk. We saw four out of five today. I'm a big wuss when it comes to picking up bigger snakes, because I don't want to get bitten. Not many other people are as thrilled by my stories of seeing these critters. They're either like, "oh. . . ." and change the subject or say, "ewww. . . .gross!" (hi mom!) and change the subject. I'm so glad I have a husband who loves doing this as much as I do.

Another thing my husband and I love are horror movies. We especially like older ones (pre-90s), but there have been a handful in recent years that have won us over. Our special "areas of interest" are European films of the 60s and 70s, but we're big lovers of Japanese films too. If you have an old horror or cult film question that's been bugging you, or need recommendations, we may be able to help you out. We've got a massive DVD/video collection, rivaled by out music collection (and that is full of punk/hard rock/pop/jazz/blues/soul from all decades).

I'm a legal secretary. For years, I resisted being "defined" by "what I do", because there are so many people out there whose first question is, "what do you do" and then when you tell them they just say, "oh." Because, really, it's not the most thrilling job. But I spend 8 hours a day there, so I suppose it must define me somewhat. Basically, I keep files in order and make sure attorneys have everything they need and are where they are supposed to be. It's sometimes like being a parent, except for the fact that you get to get away them after 8 hours. Some days I am really busy and feeling really gung ho, and other days it's like watching paint peel. It is a decent way to make a good deal of money without a college edumacashun thingie. And yes, in some ways it is much like "the office".

Last but not least, I am a wife, daughter, step-mother, sister, aunt, great-aunt-to-be, cat mom and snake mom.

I also talk a lot.

Favorite Colors

I haven't done any blogstalking assignments in a while. This week's was to post a few things in your favorite color. That's really tough for me, because I don't have a color that I call my favorite. I don't even have color families I call my favorite. So, I decided to post some colorful photos:

Pink! I love pink. Here are a few pink anemones and corals from the New England Aquarium:







(I got a little bit of orange in there as well.)

Green! Green is another favorite of mine, especially bright, springy greens.







Myrtle the Green Sea Turtle:



You know how when a woman is wearing low-rise jeans, and her hips are pouring out over the waistband, and it's called a "muffin top"? Well, Myrtle has what we call "muffin plastron". Look at this:



We've got the blues, too:







We had a fun night at the Aquarium. It was an adult's only member's night, and there were only about 100 people there. Dinner and an open bar were included, but it was worth it to be able to enjoy a nearly empty aquarium.

The painted turtle was a great source of amusement. Most of the photos I took of him looked like this:



I have a few more photos just as blurry, but I figured I would save your eyes and not post 'em here. If you want to take a look at them, you can check out my New England Aquarium 2007 photo set on Flickr.

Meanwhile, check out the video I made of that turtle being a complete jerk to this poor fish:



Since we're talking about colors here, I figured I would include some fiber pr0n. I have a very small spinning stash, but I suppose it's big enough for a new spinner. Here's some of the fiber I bought from Spunky Eclectic right after Christmas:



I believe this color is "Atomic Melon". As you can see on the label, it's Falkland. It's very, very soft.



It reminds me of sherbert! Yum!



I don't remember the content or the name of this, but it is a nice, mellow blue:







This color is called "kites". I'm not certain of the contents:







And I KNOW this is called "hot rod".



Doesn't the bottom of this look like a bum?







I've been working with this a little bit. The color is called "hidden".



This reminds me of looking at distant mountains:



This is some of the natural coopworth I got with my wheel. It's really soft and lovely, and I have 2 lbs of it!





I got more fiber today! bluetangle from the knittyboard sent me some luciously soft, undyed merino roving from this etsy shop. So not only do I get to play with spinning, I get to play with dyeing too!!